Go for healthy and comforting with this Roasted Curry Veggie Salad with Tahini Dressing. The dressing is mixed with creamy coconut milk, sweet orange juice and a splash of lemon for the perfect blend of sweet and tangy.
ME BEFORE THE RECIPE…
I’m sitting here with a total writer’s block, not knowing how to start this post about salad, and so I decide to ask Braelyn, “What should I write about Braelyn Boo?!”
To which she responds, “Me. You should write ALL about me.”
Hmmm…okay. That child has no lack of modesty. Sometimes I think she truly believes that the world revolves around here. Not in a bad way. She is quite confident in her little self and I love it. It won’t be too long until the world starts to break her down and she realizes that others may not view her in the same light as she envisions herself; a fierce, fiery, sassy, gorgeous gal with the rockin’ talent of a superstar.
I hope that day doesn’t come for a long LONG time. Live it up little miss!
Poor Braelyn did have a bit of a double whammy to her confidence this week, courtesy of her little sister. Which is surprising to me since Braelyn is usually the one that steals the show between the two of them. But this week was all about Emry.
Turns out a YouTube video that went viral a few years back of Emry getting pushed off the diving board by her little cousin (the original video had millions of views) made it’s way to a video licensing company in the UK. They are interested in using the clip for a commercial. Don’t worry. It’s a legit company. I did all the research. In a nutshell, they’re paying us to use the video for television and web release and it’s a decent chunk of money for basically getting pushed off a diving board.
Of course we’re sharing the money with my niece (aka: the pusher) and my aunt (aka: the videographer), but the rest is Emry’s. Let my clarify. The rest is for Emry’s savings account which she will have access to when she leaves the house. That’s my little incentive for encouraging my kids to be independent later on in life: you’ll get your money.
So a few days after this commercial news, Emry got chosen to do a voice over for a Peter Piper Pizza radio spot. Both the girls auditioned for the part, and I prepped them that only one or possibly neither of them could get the part. I sent the voice over auditions to my agent and hoped for the best. They were both so excited at the thought of potentially hearing their voices on the radio.
But alas, cute little Emry’s voice was chosen and once again, she is being rewarded with a good chunk of money that will go directly into a savings account for later. I did tell her she could pick out one prize for herself for doing a good job, but the rest is to save.
Talk about a punch in the gut for Braelyn. You bet she put her negotiating skills right to work and was trying to finagle at least $300 out of Emry for who knows why. For being a decent sister I guess???
Those two. They sure do crack me up. They are the perfect balance for one another. Braelyn is sassy, loud, bossy, opinionated, creative, and full of this electric spark that either leaves you laughing or fuming from ear to ear. Emry is sweet, considerate, modest, joyful, witty, and the most fervent rule follower you will ever meet. Although my two girls may grate on each others’ nerves, they are more often than not the best of friends. They are the perfect combination of flavors.
HERE COMES THE RECIPE…
The perfect combo of flavors: ah, the ongoing struggle for making any salad. I swear, it’s such a balancing act picking out the right variety of textures and seasonings to build a bold, beautiful bowl of fresh produce.
I’ll tell you one thing, this Roasted Curry Veggie Salad with Tahini Dressing was a match made in heaven, just like my two girls. In fact, this salad in the essence of my munchkins. This salad is sweet and tangy, earthy with a little spice, light and hearty, creamy and crunchy. Basically this salad is made up of all the opposites that attract so well.
Things I look for when building the perfect salad are:
- A mixture of greens. Use a combination of crisp lettuce like romaine, iceberg, or cabbage and softer leafier lettuces like butter, spinach, or arugula. Not only does the texture variety make your salad interesting, but the different lettuces add flavor variety as well.
- Make your salad a meal. Just veggies won’t fill you up. Opt for a hearty grain like quinoa or rice to scoop on top, or throw in some more substantial olive oil roasted veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, brussel sprouts, and mushrooms.
- Go for something creamy. I’m all about adding a little “creaminess” to my salads. This can be in the form of a soft cheese like goat cheese, cottage cheese or feta, a creamy dressing like homemade ranch, or some creamy avocado slices. Adding some cream cuts through the tanginess and acidity that a lot of yummy salad dressings have and leaves you with an inviting balance of flavors.
- Bring on the crunch! I’m sorry, but a salad is not a salad without some crunch. Throw on some roasted chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, toasted coconut, crushed seed crackers, sunflower seeds…you name it. Whatever it is, every salad needs crunch in their lives!
- Dress it up. Salads need a stellar dressing. Now I’m no pro on homemade dressings, but I’ve been trying to make dressings from scratch lately and avoid all the preservatives that are in store bought bottles. So far, I’ve been pretty impressed with all the flavorful dressings you can whip up at home. As long as you have an assortment of oils, acids (vinegars, citrus juices, etc.), cream bases (mayo, sour cream, Greek yogurt), and fresh or dried herbs and spices, you can pretty much make all the dressings you want. Go ahead and experiment!
As far as this Roasted Curry Veggie Salad with Tahini Dressing goes, it hits all the requirements.
This salad is light, crisp, and cool from the chopped romaine lettuce, filling from the rice and curry roasted veggies, sweet and tangy from the oranges, and creamy from the citrus tahini dressing. I’m not lying when I say this salad has it all.
You can either eat the salad with warm rice and roasted veggies on top, or you can prep those ahead of time, let them cool, and eat the entire salad cold. It’s your preference. I actually enjoy the mixture of warm and cold in my salads, but just make sure to plate it right before eating so the warmth doesn’t wilt the fresh lettuce.
Let’s talk about this dressing for a minute, though. Well first, it’s delicious. That’s a given. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be writing about it right now. It has a subtle roasted flavor from the tahini and a light sweetness from the coconut milk. Make sure to use full fat coconut milk, otherwise your dressing will be watery and will lack a smooth velvety texture. Then there is the hint of citrus from the oranges and lemon juice and an earthiness from the fresh grated turmeric and ginger that throws you into this world of salad comfort.
You guys, this dressing is just downright dreamy. Aside from complimenting this salad, I have used this dressing to drizzle on avocado toast, over roasted chickpea topped pita bread, and in turkey cucumber sandwiches…all of which tasted amazing. I’m sure you can find many, many more uses for this sauce!
Along with the dressing, I absolutely love the roasted veggies in this salad. I seasoned them with some curry powder along with other spices to give it a little middle eastern flare, and it was just perfect. The curry flavor wasn’t too overwhelming but was just present enough to give this salad a little ethnic character. Like I said, this salad is full of personality!
So there you have it, a salad with all the vibrance of summer yet all the cozy warmth of winter. I guess that means you can eat this salad all year long and ain’t nobody gonna complain about it. I know I won’t.
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY…
- Homemade Ranch Dressing and Dip
- Roasted Veggie Salad with French Vinaigrette
- Cranberry Curry Chicken Salad
- Goat Cheese Berry Spinach Salad
- Healthier Broccoli Raisin Salad
- For the dressing:
- ¼ cup creamy Tahini spread
- ¼ cup full fat coconut milk (make sure you vigorously shake the can before opening)
- 2 tablespoons orange juice (I used Cara Cara oranges)
- 1½ teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger (1/4 teaspoon powder)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated turmeric (1/8 teaspoon powder)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon honey
- For the veggies:
- 5 cups your choice chopped veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, eggplant, red onion, mushrooms, butternut squash etc.)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- For the salad:
- 2 cups prepared rice or quinoa to your liking
- 6-8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 3 oranges, skins removed and sliced into rounds
- 2 avocados, sliced
- roasted chickpeas, gluten free pita chips, or sesame seed crackers (something crunchy)
- cilantro leaves
- Cook rice or quinoa according to package directions. Set aside until ready to use.
- While rice is cooking, begin roasting veggies. Preheat oven to 450 and spray a pan with cooking spray. Cut all veggies into bite sized pieces and arrange on pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, curry powder, garlic, turmeric, ginger, and paprika. Toss to combine all ingredients and distribute seasonings evenly. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until veggies are crisp/tender.
- While veggies are roasting begin making dressing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients together until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
- To assemble salads, place about 1-1½ cups lettuce in each bowl. Working around the bowl, place oranges, a scoop of rice, and then roasted veggies. Drizzle with dressing. Top with avocado slices, your crunch of choice, and cilantro leaves. Lightly season avocado with salt and pepper.
- Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
